Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



"Edna has been on a roll with her academic work over the years, though..."

"Academic achievements don't necessarily equate to moral integrity. She's too full of herself; a reality check wouldn't hurt."

Hancock's frown eased at this: "...Should we reach out to Madeleine? Smooth things over?"

"No need. I know Madeleine. She's not one for power struggles or infighting. She's the rare kind who genuinely focuses on her research."

"Her three students, and that lab they've been flaunting all over the Lumina City Times..."

Sinclair Nelson tapped his desk, where a copy of the newspaper lay open to the very article about Roseanne and her team setting up their own lab.

He was silent for a longer moment this time.

Hancock remained quiet as well.

Finally, Sinclair Nelson spoke, "...Let them be. Those three students... they've got money, space, and somehow got through all the red tape. They've got some talent. But setting up a lab doesn't guarantee academic success. It's too early to tell how this will play out."

"Even if they do manage to produce something noteworthy, it will ultimately be under the university's name. It doesn't change the big picture." Hancock chuckled dismissively, "Three first-year grad students pulling off a significant academic publication? That Roseanne got a piece in Science, but it was just a commentary, not original research. It's hardly worth much."

But Hancock was about to eat his words.

Just two weeks after the lab's completion, a paper titled "Computational Principles and Challenges in Single-Cell Data Integration" by Sue, Holly, and Logan was published in Nature Biotechnology.

The news sent shockwaves through the university.

Nature Biotechnology, or NBT for short, is a prestigious subsidiary of the global powerhouse Nature, focusing on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology.

It's one of the top journals in the biological sciences, boasting an impact factor of 33.1.

In other words, it's a big deal, leagues beyond the local journals where Sybil previously published.

Notably, the paper was credited to "Boundless Lab," with no mention of Kingswell University or its Life

Sciences Department of

the

O

acknowledgments.

Hancock was stunned when he heard, "Are you sure it's Nature Biotechnology?!"

His secretary confirmed, "Yes. It's already listed in the journal database," turning her laptop screen to show him.

After reading, Hancock's legs went weak.

After a moment, he managed, "...Aren't they just first-year grad students?"

The secretary paused before nodding, "Yes, first-year."

"Now first-year students are getting published in Nature Biotechnology?"noveldrama

The secretary remained silent.

In theory, it shouldn't be possible, but now it had happened, so there was no straightforward answer.

But then Hancock saw the silver

lining. "Look at our Kingswell University students, publishing in Nature Biotechnology as first-years. That's a bragging right if I ever heard one!"

"Well done, well done," his mood brightened immediately, nodding appreciatively, "When our students

shine, the university shines with them. A cause for celebration!"

UMS

Um...

"Principal... there's something I'm hesitant to bring up," the secretary hesitated.

"Go ahead, what is it? Oh, and remember to have someone log this under academic output later."

That was a key factor in the university's annual ranking.

The secretary looked even more uncomfortable, "It's just... this paper doesn't seem to be affiliated with our university."

Hancock: "?"